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Dear Friends of the Harp,
Fall has arrived! We wish you a productive and prosperous autumn. Enjoy the colors.
We have lots of new music PLUS... a few interesting harps on the floor.
Music first - harps, scroll down.
Nine new arrangements from Angi Bemiss, a favorite arranger and best seller. Notes along with the titles are by Angi Bemiss with some edits. Notes on some are long, but I have left them for their integrity and historical significance. If you rarely take the time to visit you tube, Angi's suggestions are pretty compelling.
1.
A Thousand Years - with a clean left hand accompaniment that avoids the muddiness of the piano arrangement, and it has a nice little "Bride's Intro" at the bottom of the second page, in case you are asked to play it at a wedding.
2.
And So It Goes - This is the first of two arrangements of Billy Joel songs. It wasn't until I pulled out my piano scores in hopes of arranging them that I realized that part of what makes his songs so special is his use of accidentals. Alas, after several hours' work, this one requires only one set of lever flips - 3 levers at once, but easily set & reset. Beautiful! You may enjoy this you tube.
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| Billy Joel sings _And So It Goes_ |
She's Always A Woman - There are so many settings where a love song is appropriate, and this one has been recognized quickly each time I've played it - bringing smiles of recognition & appreciation.
Last Date - My father loved the music of Floyd Cramer (and his unique style of piano-playing), and Dad played one of Cramer's albums often during my youth - thus, making "Last Date" a sweet memory for me. < > someone reminded me that Louise Trotter sometimes plays it in her concerts. It works beautifully on the harp and is a refreshing change of pace. (it's one of Louise's trademark pieces - ed.)
Morning Has Broken - I think I was in high school when Cat Stevens recorded this, and I endeavored to capture the essence of his version in this arrangement because it's the one I "hear in my head."
Last year I published my harp arrangement of the acoustic guitarist Ed Gerhard's "The Handing Down." Kevin & I (plus a group of friends) had the pleasure of hearing him in concert this past March, and it was one of the highlights of our life (seriously!). His countenance is peaceful and humble, and his performance was exquisite. First, how can he create such a depth of sound while playing solo on only one guitar? Second, how does he come up with the nuances of harmony in his arrangements? <> When I mentioned to a harp retailer friend that I had published "Water Is Wide" he responded, "There are lots of those already." [that would be John at Melody's <VBG> - ed.] I replied, "True, but wait until you hear this one. It's special, and I want to share it." Fortunately, Ed was very gracious when I requested print licenses, so we can all enjoy playing them on the harp. (Peter, Paul & Mary sang "There is a Ship" which uses the tune of "Water Is Wide"/"O Waly, Waly." A quick look at Wikipedia shows that it has been recorded by ~100 others, including Bob Dylan, James Taylor, & Joan Baez.)
8.
Alleluia - This has been one of Kevin's and my favorite songs for over 30 years. It was written by Larry Gatlin, and I believe the Gatlin Brothers still conclude every concert with it. This harp arrangement captures their beautiful 3-part harmony, but with no accidentals until its final "Alleluia."
Glory Medley ("Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord" and "I Bowed On My Knees and Cried 'Holy'") - Both of these gospel arrangements were by request. I had worked on "Bowed" several years ago for my dear harpist-friend Jo Ann Buice [RIP December 2015 - Jo Ann was also a favorite customer at Melody's and we've know her for many many years.]
[End of annotations by Angi Bemiss]
From Rhett Barnwell, another favorite arranger:
Kingsfold * - has become a popular hymn recently. It is "Star of the County Down" in a duple meter, and known as "Canticle of the Turning" in most hymnals.
PDF version
This myriad collection of harps from an estate is temporarily at Melody's in the competent hands of John Gill, who is collecting history on each harp and restringing. Many of you saw this picture on Facebook. There is much work yet to be done, and you are welcome to inquire as to the status of each harp. Still available are the style 17 and Troubadour, also pictured.
From the last e-blast, as a reminder and if you didn't get a chance to view it:
Inspired duets for teacher and student, all with water/sea folklore theme. Please enjoy Cater's You Tube videos below. She created them and they are superbly done.
New originals with lush harmonies and beautiful melodies
Delightful and short originals
Original and popular duets for harp, includes "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"
Easy to learn Christmas tunes and fun facts about each song
Trio for lever or pedal, has a driving rhythm
Plucky Bunny's Harp Adventures Book 1 (Julietta Rabens)
An innovative series designed for young students and for elementary aged students who need a little
extra entertainment and support.
Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen, arranged by Michelle Whitson-Stone.
Heart's Desire by Joy Slavens (only available as a download, check back if you prefer the paper version as it should be in a few weeks.)
From Linda Larkin
The folks at Melody's
If you want to keep in the loop, but not receive our e-mails, please consider liking us on FB. We'll post our announcements there. If you need to change your e-mail, you can use the unsubscribe option to do that, too. When we send out these announcements, many times we receive a great deal of orders, and sometimes we even run out of certain titles. We attempt to keep a 4-month supply of each title on hand at all times, based on the current and previous year sales history. If we have run out of a title, you won't be able to order it, but please know that we make every attempt to restock within 10 days.
We generally ship using media mail. Media is printed or recorded matter, and it used to be known as "book rate" or "library rate". It is the least expensive way to ship. We use new box material, or a cardboard support in a new padded envelope to protect your music. We have found that new packaging material survives the journey best, so we don't use recycled material when sending out your orders (except for bubble wrap and paper padding), but we encourage you to recycle the packaging material you receive from us. We flatten and recycle all cardboard boxes from our vendors, and we reuse the bubble wrap.
Your friends at Melody's!
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